Warnings
Bactrim Risks, Warnings, and Complications
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Precautions Before Starting Bactrim
Tell your doctor if you have previously had allergic reactions to Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim), any other antibiotics, or any other drugs. Your pharmacy can give you a list of active and inactive ingredients in Bactrim tablets.
Give your doctor a complete medical history. Bactrim may not be right for people with certain medical conditions such as kidney disease, liver disease, megaloblastic anemia due to folic acid deficiency, and in pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Give your doctor a complete list of all your medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, nutritional supplements, vitamins, and herbal products — this can help avoid serious drug interactions.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Bactrim can harm unborn babies and cause birth defects. This medication can pass into breast milk and is not suitable for nursing mothers. Bactrim is not recommended for infants under the age of 2 months.
Precautions During Use of Bactrim
Keep all your healthcare appointments. Your doctor may want to do certain blood tests or urine tests to check if your infection has cleared and to ensure Bactrim is not causing any serious adverse reactions.
Bactrim can cause sun sensitivity. Be sure to avoid sun exposure as much as possible and wear protective clothing and sunscreen while on this medication.
Call your doctor or seek emergency medical help if you develop signs and symptoms of allergic reactions, severe skin reaction, low blood platelets (unusual bruising), low blood sugar, intestinal infections (severe diarrhea), high blood potassium (nausea, weakness, tingling, chest pain, irregular heartbeats), or low blood sodium (headache, weakness, confusion, memory problems) while on Bactrim.
Stop taking Bactrim and call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking Bactrim.
Bactrim Drug Interactions
Taking Bactrim with other medications can lead to reduced or elevated plasma concentrations and affect how the medicines work. Drug interactions can also increase the risk of serious adverse effects. Your physician may choose a different medication, change the dose or frequency of one or both medicines, and/or monitor you carefully for side effects if there are known interactions between Bactrim and your other drugs.
Taking Bactrim with the following medications is not recommended:
- Leucovorin (used in HIV patients and as an antidote to the cancer medication methotrexate)
- Methenamine (used to treat bladder infections)
- Levomethadyl (used to manage opiate dependence)
- Dofetilide (used to treat irregular heart rhythm)
There can also be drug interactions between Bactrim and medicines, such as:
- Thiazide diuretics (water pills)
- Warfarin (anticoagulant or blood thinner)
- Phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication)
- Methotrexate (a cancer medication)
- Cyclosporine (a medication used to prevent transplant rejection)
- Digoxin (a heart medication)
- Indomethacin (an NSAID or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug)
- Pyrimethamine (a medication used for malaria prevention)
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Certain oral diabetes medicines like pioglitazone, repaglinide, rosiglitazone, glipizide, glyburide, and metformin
This list may not describe all possible Bactrim interactions. Give your healthcare providers a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal products. Also, tell your healthcare providers if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications or increase the risk of side effects when used with prescription medications.
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